War (Kings of Sin MC #2)

14. Crimson Tides

CHAPTER 14

CRIMSON TIDES

“Get on the bike, Rogue.” Callan’s voice scrapes across my mind like sandpaper.

I don’t even remember walking outside. The sun soaks into my skin as it streaks through a scattering of marshmallow clouds. I stand beside Callan’s bike, staring at his face. He’s so striking, just looking at him cuts deep.

Carver was an asshole, but I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known Tyler. Watching Monster butcher him like a pig will haunt me forever.

“Rogue,” Callan repeats.

I nod, taking my helmet and slipping it over my head. Fire burns my eyes, and I’m grateful for the obscurity of my helmet. I sweep my leg over the bike, my gaze landing on Monster straddling his bike beside us. My eyes drop to the knife, now sheathed on his thigh, and my gut twists.

Chaos rages in my heart. Conflict pulls me in too many directions. If Tyler were here it would have been his blood sprayed across that table not Carver’s. And as much as I want answers I don’t have it in me to be part of his murder.

The engine roars to life, vibrating the seat, humming up my thighs. I wrap my arms around Callan’s waist and lay my head against his back, allowing myself a moment to remember the Devil in me who lost something today.

Not just Carver, but Bear too.

As soon as Callan idles the bike back at the King’s compound, I take off, crashing through the door and rushing down the hallway. The walls blur, my heart pounding in my ears. Jerking Callan’s bedroom door open, I head straight for the en suite. My knees crash to the tiled floor, my arms curling around the toilet seat as my body purges the small amount of food in my stomach.

Acid burns up my throat. Water streams from my eyes. My body heaves. A twinge of pain expands through my ribs as my muscles contract. Pushing to my feet, I wipe my mouth with my sleeve and move to the shower. Sweat coats my skin. It’s hard to breathe.

I peel the sweater from my skin then toe off my shoes and kick out of my pants. Stumbling inside the shower, I turn the knob to cold. An icy torrent blasts down on me, stealing the air from my lungs and dousing the fever taking over my flesh. I wish I could scrub the images in my mind away as quickly.

I stand there under the punishing flow until my body goes numb.

Switching the shower off, I step out, wrap a towel around my body, and wring out my hair. I sense Callan before I see his imposing frame in the doorway.

“We had to send a message, Rogue.”

“I know.” I shiver.

That’s the hardest part about this. I know how it works. I know what needs to be done. The Kings can’t show weakness, even if the Devils aren’t a significant threat. Other clubs, gangs, the mafia—they keep tabs on what the others are doing. Like in the wild, they’ll fight you for dominance and territory if they see weakness. When it comes down to it, we’re all animals.

Walking to the mirror, I apply cream to my face. The sun left her mark today.

“I want you to text Tyler.”

My eyes dart to Callan’s through the mirror. A lump forms in my throat.

Pushing off the doorframe, he comes to stand behind me, his large palms covering my bare shoulders. The contact of his skin on mine seeps into me, and my eyes close. “Damn, Rogue. You’re freezing,” he hisses.

“Please don’t make me do this,” I beg, the words barely making it past my lips. My head falls forward, weighing a thousand pounds.

“He’ll answer you. Get him to meet you.”

“Callan,” I choke out. “You can’t ask me this. It’s not fair.”

“It’s better for him if we don’t have to hunt him down.”

Blood whooshes in my ears. A hurricane, turbulent and destructive, destroys me from the inside out. “Do you even care when you take a life?” I ask, sincerely curious.

Static fills the silence before he cuts through it. “A wolf doesn’t apologize for being an alpha. I’ll do what I must to survive, to stay on top, to keep my brothers and my club safe. If I can do that without spilling blood, good, but I won’t hesitate to take a life to keep my kingdom intact.”

I turn, placing my hands on his chest. “If I do this…” I shudder, raising my eyes to his. “Promise me you’ll make it quick.”

A snake slithers up my spine and wraps around my neck, squeezing.

Callan’s hands encase my cheeks. “I promise.” He leans down, placing a kiss on my head.

When he moves away, I feel it pull on the threads of my soul. I just agreed to help kill Tyler.

* * *

Me: I need to see you.

“You haven’t touched your drink.” Kitty nudges the bottle along the bar until it touches the side of my hand. Staring at the text I sent Tyler, I nibble at my lip, my leg bouncing.

“I’m not really in the mood.”

“That’s the beauty of alcohol—it gets you in the mood.”

Looking up from my phone, I notice it’s just us sitting at the bar, there’s no heavy music or club sluts sauntering around the place. The atmosphere is unsettled, I hate it. Callan went into his office two hours ago with Grease and still hasn’t come out. Brothers sit around tables, talking in hushed grunts. A buzz sizzles in the air, waiting to catch fire. No one is ready to light the match.

“Who are you waiting to get a text from?” Kitty asks when I recheck my phone, refreshing the screen.

“No one.” I turn my phone over and take the bottle, the bitter liquid sloshing into my empty stomach as I drink.

“Cutter sent Tim on a pizza run.”

My stomach growls. “I knew I liked Tim for a reason.” I manage a smile, but it feels forced. It’s such an odd sensation, being part of a murder and then sitting here waiting for pizza to arrive.

“Cutter doesn’t,” Kitty muses, peeling the label off her bottle.

“Why is that?” I raise a brow, giving her a pointed look.

“I’m not the one who’s married.” She cuts her gaze across the room.

“He won’t leave her, Kit,” I say out loud, my eyes following hers to the man who holds her heart in his hand. Life is too damn short to beat around the bush. Her knuckles turn snow white against the beer bottle. I hate hurting her, but Cutter uses her like a club slut. He’s not just disrespecting her and holding her heart hostage; he’s disrespecting Callan and Jericho in the same breath. When this comes out, it’s going to cause a riot. They should both know better.

After a silent pause that seems to go on forever, she scrunches her nose and flicks her green hair over her shoulder.

“It doesn’t matter.” She slips from her stool and plants her lips on my cheek. “Single suits me better anyway.”

“Where are you going?” I call after her retreating form.

“It’s dinnertime for Keg.”

“You’re always using that cat as an excuse to avoid conversation,” I scoff. Pushing the beer bottle away, I flag over the prospect acting as bartender tonight. “Can I have a water, please?”

He leans over the bar, putting his hand behind his ear despite it not being crowded or noisy in here tonight. “What was that?”

“A water,” I repeat. His brow tugs in confusion, but he nods. Rolling my eyes, I scan the room, startling when Monster comes to sit beside me. He places a pizza box on the bar top and lifts the lid, gesturing with his chin for me to take a slice.

The heat drains from my body. “Thanks.” Delicious aromas waft up with the steam billowing from the melted cheese, attacking my senses. I pull a piece out and rest it on the napkin meant for my beer. “I didn’t see Tim come in with them,” I say, shifting on my stool.

“He dumped and ran off with Kitty.” My mouth parts, and I turn to look at the exit.

Unbelievable .

“I wanted to make sure things were good with us.” His gaze burns into the side of my face. I shake my head, attempting to gather my thoughts with my nerves jumping in my pulse.

“There’s no mercy for crimes against the Kings, right?” I repeat the words Callan said to Larkin’s son before killing him. God, it feels like another lifetime.

“Without consequence, there’s just chaos,” Monster states. “But you knew him, so I’m sorry that had to happen—that you had to see it.” I look into his eyes, finding only sincerity.

“I’ve seen my fair share of red lately.” I sigh. “It sucks that this is how it ends. I wonder what my dad would make of it all—of me being here, being a King.”

“You belong here. And who knows. If he were around, maybe he would too.” He stands, taking the pizza box into his hand. “We good?” he asks, his heavy beard moving with his actions.

“We’re good.” I bite into my slice and nod my head.

The prospect places my glass of water on the bar and scratches his head. “You did mean just tap water, right? Not tonic?”

“Yes, thank you.” I take a sip and finish my slice. Grease enters the bar and taps Cutter on the shoulder, jerking his chin toward the exit. I bite the inside of my cheek, watching them leave together. Slipping off my stool, I make my way to Callan’s office, relieved the door is open. My mood instantly shifts, the pizza turning sour in my stomach, when Georgina moves into view. Her slender frame is encased in a white dress that flows around her like liquid. Her dark hair loose and stark against the white fabric.

Callan’s gaze cuts across her head to my approach, and she follows his stare, the corner of her mouth curling. I stop abruptly when she slams the door closed, sending a gust of air into my face. I’m so past playing her high school mean-girl bullshit.

A second later, the door opens, and Callan stands there. “Out,” he orders her.

“Callan…” She places a hand on her chest, her mouth forming an O .

“I warned you about this shit, Georgina. If you can’t play nice, stay the fuck away.”

The fake hurt vanishes with a deathly sneer. “We’ll see who’s staying away when Jericho is home.” Storming past Callan she slows when she’s beside me. Folding her arms, she leans into me, a smug smile eclipsing the sneer. “Your days are numbered.”

Her words crash over me, the tide rushing in and pummeling me against the jagged rocks.

“Georgina,” I call after her as she saunters down the hall. “Your desperation is showing.” She doesn’t look back or retort.

Callan exhales, throwing his hands up in exasperation before resting them on his hips. “She’s been to see my dad.”

“That’s a bold move,” I say, moving closer to him and only stopping when I inhale his scent.

Pulling me into his arms, he rests his chin on my head. “She’s known him a long time.”

“Well, she’s not wrong about him wanting me to stay away.”

“She doesn’t know shit.”

He releases me and strides back into his office. Sinking into the chair behind the desk, his eyes flick between the monitors flashing videos from cameras around the compound.

Stepping over the threshold, I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms. “Where are Grease and Cutter going?”

He steeples his hands, tapping his forefingers against his chin. “I’ve never met an ol’ lady like you before.”

“What does that mean?”

He cuts an amused glance in my direction. “Involved with club business, asking questions a brother would approach with caution.”

“Would you prefer I was more like Georgina, swanning around in dresses you can see my nipples through? A pathetic damsel with a serpent tongue and so much desperation to suck your cock that I act like a fucking idiot?”

“Come here,” he orders in a rough tone, crooking his finger to summon me to him.

“No. You come here.” I lift my chin in defiance.

Fast as lightening, he’s across the room hooking me under the arms and carrying me to his desk. Lowering me down onto the cool surface, he pushes himself between my thighs.

“She’s a speck of dust in the stream of your glow, Rogue. No one could ever come close to you.” His nose brushes against my cheek. “And all the ways I fucking love you for it.”

“So, what do you want from me?” I ask, carnal need mixing with overwhelming love. It fills me up, muting the dread eating away at my chest.

“Everything,” he says, his voice so vulnerable, it brings tears to my eyes. “Every. Damn. Thing.” He punches each word out then steals my lips. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, dueling with mine. Warm, thick strokes consume, eliciting delicious sensations in every fiber of my being.

Tearing at the buttons of his jeans, I shove my hand inside. I caress the length of his hard cock, the pad of my thumb teasing his thick head. Pre-cum soaks into the flesh. Vibrations from his pocket buzz next to my thigh, and he groans for a whole other reason.

“Do you want to get that?” I grin against his lips.

“No.” He sighs, resting his head on mine. “But I have to.”

Reaching into his pocket, I grab his phone and hand it to him, releasing his cock.

He snatches it from me and swipes the screen. “Better be life or death,” he barks in greeting. The voice on the other end doesn’t sound familiar, and Callan doesn’t seem happy with whatever they’re saying. He grits his teeth, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “Burn it all.”

Moving from between my legs, he paces around the desk. “I don’t give a fuck!” he roars. “I’ll be there soon. He’s not there to open it, I’ll go get him my-fucking-self.” He ends the call and brushes a hand through his hair before buttoning his jeans. “Don’t pout.” He comes back between my legs, capturing my bottom lip between his forefinger and thumb. “I’ll be back soon.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

“What was that about?”

“Always with the questions.”

“Always avoiding the answers.” I push him back and swing my legs to the side, hopping down from the desk.

“I sent some brothers to the shipyard to empty the Devils’ container. But there’s some issue with a new guy who can’t find the container number.”

“Seems beneath you. Can’t the brothers deal with it?” I bite my lip, my eyes hooded.

“If you want something done right…”—he licks his lips, his gaze drifting up my body—“you have to do it yourself.”

“Is that so?” I cup my tit, taking his advice.

“Not what I meant.” He’s on me before finishing his sentence, shoving me against the wall. “I have some time.”

Sliding from his hold, I wag my finger and slip out the door. “Go do what you’ve got to do—and I’ll do the same.”

“Rogue…” he warns, low and gruff.

“If you hurry, you can help finish me.”

Leaving him wanting, I head for his room, exhaustion worming through my limbs. I get halfway there when my phone vibrates. The walls narrow in on me. My hands shake. My lungs seize. Like it’s a bomb about to detonate, I slide my phone from my pocket and sag against the wall, my heart hammering in my ribcage.

Tyler: Meet me now.